This invention relates to the photographic field. More particularly, it relates to a method of manufacturing a photographic camera apparatus as well as the apparatus itself.
A wide variety of techniques for assemblying cameras are known. One extremely successful kind has been proposed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,979,762 and 4,052,728. As disclosed therein, a group of modular sub-assemblies are attached to predetermined portions of a primary structure with snap-together type fasteners. Once constructed, these sub-assemblies form a completely enclosed modular photograhic unit ready for use. While the foregoing approach is successful, potential for problems exist.
For instance, the foregoing type of modular camera has a viewfinder sub-assembly which is attached to the primary structure during an intermediate assembly step. During subsequent assembly steps, however, the viewfinder lens element can become scratched or otherwise damaged.
This is a particularly significant problem when the lens elements are made of plastic. Obviously, this is undesirable not only because of the costs involved, but because the camera would have to be partially disassembled to replace the defective modular lens sub-assembly. Also, the foregoing type of camera requires testing and fine adjustment for certain of its operational components, such as the exposure calibration system or the shutter blade mechanism, before the camera is ready for marketing. For effecting such alterations, the camera's entire front wall cannot be covered. This thereby exposes much of the camera's interior components and increases the probability of inadvertent damage occurring during such altering.
Moreover, gaining access to the interior of such cameras for subsequently effecting repairs of later adjustments of these components requires removal of the entire front wall cover. Again, such removal exposes the entire interior to potential damaging influences even though it may be desired to work on only selected portions of the camera's components.